Apollo Command Module

Why it matters

The Apollo Command Module brought astronauts home. Twelve humans traveled to the Moon and back in these conical spacecraft, surviving reentry at 25,000 mph. The ablative heat shield was designed to burn away — the charred exterior of a recovered capsule tells the story of human bodies protected from temperatures that would vaporize steel. Every recovered Command Module is a monument to what America accomplished when we decided to do something impossible.

Specifications

Patina notes

Apollo Command Modules are the ultimate example of earned patina. The heat-scorched exterior is literally burned into the spacecraft during reentry. The charred ablative material, the discolored metalwork, the visible scars of passage through plasma — this is patina you can't fake and shouldn't restore. These surfaces tell the story of the most extreme journey humans have made.

Preservation reality

Approximately 15 flight-worthy Command Modules were built, plus numerous test articles. Eleven flew to lunar orbit, and six landed crews on the Moon. These artifacts belong to NASA, on permanent loan to museums. Three Apollo CMs are in private hands (Apollo 15, purchased by a collector). They cannot be bought at any price — they are American heritage, preserved in perpetuity.

Where to see one

• • National Air and Space Museum (Apollo 11)
• • Kennedy Space Center (Apollo 14)
• • Museum of Science and Industry Chicago (Apollo 8)
• • California Science Center (Apollo-Soyuz)
• • U.S. Space & Rocket Center (Apollo 16)

Preservation organizations

• • NASA
• • Smithsonian Institution